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Permalink Reply by ad on October 20, 2010 at 9:57am

My feet stay fairly warm, so I have gotten away with riding in Sidi Dominators and mid-weight wool socks fairly far into the fall (down to near-freezing temps). The real problem, though, is going to be when it gets wet on the roads from either rain or snow melt. I'm sure shoe covers would help (some claim to be fairly waterproof), but a good pair of waterproof/windproof shoe covers cost enough (well over $50 in most cases) that I ended up just splurging on a pair of winter clipless shoes. Lake Cycling makes a few solid winter shoes, but they cost around $180 to above $200. They will definitely last for a few seasons, though.

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Permalink Reply by dan brown on October 20, 2010 at 10:08am

a good way to deal with this (I invented this - LOL) :

put on a thin pair of socks
put a plastic bag (newspaper bags work well) over each of the socks
put wool socks over that
put a neoprene (available at REI btw) over that (get a size larger than needed)

repeat when it's below 20 deg F and substitute a warm sock for step 1 as needed

it works !!!




arohr said:

My feet stay fairly warm, so I have gotten away with riding in Sidi Dominators and mid-weight wool socks fairly far into the fall (down to near-freezing temps). The real problem, though, is going to be when it gets wet on the roads from either rain or snow melt. I'm sure shoe covers would help (some claim to be fairly waterproof), but a good pair of waterproof/windproof shoe covers cost enough (well over $50 in most cases) that I ended up just splurging on a pair of winter clipless shoes. Lake Cycling makes a few solid winter shoes, but they cost around $180 to above $200. They will definitely last for a few seasons, though.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on October 20, 2010 at 12:08pm

I rarely ride clipless and never do in the winter, but I can vouch for the wool sock/plastic bag combo. It looks utterly ridiculous, but there is no way that fancy shoe covers are $50 better than a plain old plastic bag. I get away with sneakers in most winter weather using this method and they're certainly no warmer than a pair of Sidis.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on October 20, 2010 at 1:14pm

Is this for commuting or training? If commuting, I think it is good to get a set of platforms and wear boots or sturdy shoes with wool socks on most cold winter days. Your feet are going to freeze in Sidis when you'll step in a puddle of slush and have freezing soggy feet. And you would lose a toe to frostbite if you had nothing over geniuses in -20 windchill.

If it's for training rides, you can still do many good winter rides in those shoes. If the ground is dry it should be no problem with ski socks. I have the specialized defroster shoes. They have some extra insulation and will keep your feet dry longer when the roads are slushy. They are good for a bike with no fenders when it's wet.

Unless it's a race, full fenders and regular shoes/warm socks on a bike with a bright headlight is all I ride in winter.

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Permalink Reply by XV on October 21, 2010 at 7:00am

Training, problem is I dont think thicker socks will fit unless I get a size that will be too large for the summer.

@ danbrown
I've been experimenting with using tyvek from priority mail evelopes over my socks to a similar effect



Scott said:

Is this for commuting or training? If commuting, I think it is good to get a set of platforms and wear boots or sturdy shoes with wool socks on most cold winter days. Your feet are going to freeze in Sidis when you'll step in a puddle of slush and have freezing soggy feet. And you would lose a toe to frostbite if you had nothing over geniuses in -20 windchill.

If it's for training rides, you can still do many good winter rides in those shoes. If the ground is dry it should be no problem with ski socks. I have the specialized defroster shoes. They have some extra insulation and will keep your feet dry longer when the roads are slushy. They are good for a bike with no fenders when it's wet.

Unless it's a race, full fenders and regular shoes/warm socks on a bike with a bright headlight is all I ride in winter.

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